


Kingdom Hearts D

by SkystormChaosCore



Series: Kingdom Hearts D [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), F/M, Friendship, Gen, Heartless (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Keyblades (Kingdom Hearts), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Promises, Traverse Town (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-10-21 10:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17641448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkystormChaosCore/pseuds/SkystormChaosCore
Summary: When Destiny Islands is attacked by the Heartless, Sora is lost. Riku discovers he wields the Keyblade, the only weapon that can truly destroy the Heartless, and sets out on an epic quest to save the worlds and find his friends. Meanwhile, Kairi, desperate to save Sora, allies herself with Maleficent, agreeing to use her powers as Princess of Heart and Keyblade wielder to aid her, in return for the chance to find her taken friend and bring him back.Kingdom Hearts as it might have been, where the lines between darkness and light are ever so slightly more blurred.





	1. Destiny Islands

Three keys were stuck in the dusty ground, surrounded by wasteland and older, more rusted keys. The sun struggled to get through the ashy clouds and shine light on a place in which the very air felt infused with darkness.  
  
_Protect the things that matter._  
  
Blue-green eyes opened at the sound of the familiar voice as a gentle breeze rolled over the landscape, ruffling the boy's silver hair. He didn't pay much attention to the wasteland or the dark, ominous feeling hanging in the air, instead keeping his gaze steady, focusing on the large, brown key sticking up from the ground in front of him. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the handle of key, pulling it out of the ground. Once it was free, however, it dissolved into light, leaving an orange star in the boy's upturned palm. It was then he looked up and saw two people standing in front of him: a girl with a blue star in her hand and a boy with a green star in his.  
  
It was then that the gentle breeze became a forceful gale. The silver-haired boy stumbled forward, and when he lifted his head, he saw the boy and the girl being lifted off their feet and blown away. The silver-haired boy reached out a hand in an effort to grab one or both of them, but could only watch as they disappeared into a vortex of wind and dust and darkness. It was at this point that the thing in his hand changed shape again, from a star to a sword, and instead of a hand or ankle, the boy found himself gripping the handle.  
  
_The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction._  
  
The boy looked up again to see the storm dispersing to reveal a giant black monster with yellow eyes and a heart-shaped hole in its abdomen. It loomed threateningly over the boy, but he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, urging him forward and reminding him that he wasn't alone.  
  
Without fear or hesitation, the boy brandished his sword and leaped at the monster.  
  


*        *        *

__  
Deep breaths. Let your mind figure out for itself what's real and what's a dream. Your heart may not know the difference, but your soul always does.  
  
Blue-green eyes searched the ceiling, tracing the bumps, considering the way the light from the window lit one side of each, allowing the other to become tiny shadows, all connected to create a patchwork of light and dark. His left hand closed into a fist, then opened.  
  
Riku sat up and looked out the window. The sun was barely over the horizon. Dew was slowly lifting off the seaside town, covering it in a misty veil that filtered the young sunlight, bathing the world in a surreal glow. The real world seemed more dream-like than the dream itself. Riku suddenly felt restless. He threw off his covers and pajamas, got dressed, and quietly, so as not to wake his foster parents, slipped out the the front door. He walked quickly and with purpose, through the still-sleeping town and to the docks, where he was surprised to see someone already there, sitting at the edge of the dock with his knees pulled up to his chest.  
  
It was a boy, a year younger than Riku and a head shorter, with spiky brown hair and sky blue eyes that stared out across the ocean with a faraway look, watching the early morning mist curl over the ocean.  
  
"Sora?"  
  
The boy turned to Riku, eyes widening with surprise. "Riku? What are you doing here?"  
  
"What am  _I_ doing here? What are  _you_  doing here? The sun's barely up!"  
  
It wasn't uncommon to find Sora by himself, staring into the distance, but his being awake, let alone out and about, at such an early hour was unheard of.  
  
"Well, you know. You talk a lot about how pretty it is out here early in the morning. I thought I'd come see it for myself, just in case..."  
  
Something was off about his tone, that "something" being that it wasn't cheery. Riku sat down next to Sora, allowing his legs to hang from the dock, toes dangling just above the water. "In case what?"  
  
Sora's voice went low, almost a mutter. "In case I never see it again."  
  
Riku's brow furrowed with worry. Sora was about the last person he'd expect to hear that kind of talk from. "Sora... you know no matter what happens, we can always come back here. We all agreed to that. Promised."  
  
"I know, just... things happen, you know? Things you don't expect."  
  
"Well... yeah. But you remember the first promise we ever made to each each other, right?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"So if you think about it, it doesn't really matter if we ever come back here or not, because we'll always have each other. No matter what."  
  
"No matter what." Sora echoed. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if he were remembering them, five and four years old, making a promise that would define them for the rest of their lives. Still, a shadow hung over his expression and lingered in his eyes.  
  
Something wasn't right.  
  
"What's up, Sora? Is something bothering you?"  
  
"No, it's fine. Everything's fine."  
  
"Are you having second thoughts about going out there?"  
  
"What?! No! Of course not!"  
  
"Because if you were, you know I wouldn't judge you. It's scary, especially considering-"  
  
"No! I'm not scared!" Sora's hand had disappeared into his pocket. "And even if I was, it wouldn't make a difference. I have to go out there. I want to. I just..." Sora sighed. "I just woke up with a bad feeling this morning, that's all."  
  
"About going?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Did you have a dream?"  
  
Sora's eyes reflected the sky, and he suddenly seemed a thousand miles away. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Is everything alright?"  
  
At the sound of the new voice, the boys turned to see Kairi, their other best friend. Riku opened his mouth, but Sora beat him to it.  
  
"Everything's fine. Riku and I were just talking."  
  
Kairi sat down on Sora's other side. She looked as worried as Riku felt. "About what?"  
  
"Nothing. I'll tell you later."  
  
Kairi nodded and gave a small smile, as if that made sense to her. It certainly didn't to Riku. "Later" presumably meant when Riku wasn't around, but why would Sora want to talk to her without Riku if it was just about what the two of them had said to each other? Unless it was more than that, something Sora hadn't told Riku about- that dream he'd had or something else. But why? The three of them had shared everything since they were children. Why would Sora suddenly want to keep something from him? And why would he want to tell Kairi?  
  
Kairi put her hand on Sora's arm. Then, her face brightened. "I have an idea. Why don't we take a break from working on the raft today?"  
  
Riku rolled his eyes. "Of course  _you_  would want to, Kairi."  
  
"Hey! I'm not suggesting it to be lazy! I just think we may all be a little stressed out and worried about the future. It would be good for us to put it out of our minds for a day. Besides, the raft will be finished soon, right? We should celebrate! It might be our last chance for a while."  
  
Riku wondered if Kairi knew on some psychic level that she was echoing what Sora had said earlier. But when he looked at Sora, his blue eyes were shining and he had his usual relaxed smile on his face. "I think that's a great idea."  
  
Again, Riku rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."  
  
Kairi giggled. "Lazy bum."  
  
"Hey! It was you who suggested it!"  
  
"You're both lazy," said Riku.  
  
Kairi smiled mischievously and stood up. "Yeah? Well, too bad 'cause you're outvoted."  
  
"You can't boss us around all the time," Sora added, also standing.  
  
"Well..." said Riku, looking out across the ocean. The mist was lifting as the sun grew stronger. "I guess it can't hurt. If we work extra hard tomorrow..."  
  
It was Kairi's turn to roll her eyes. "Has anyone ever told you you're no fun?"  
  
"Yeah, you, everyday."  
  
"Well, it's true."  
  
They could have gone on for ages, but Sora interrupted them. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. The diner should be open by now."  
  
"Sounds great," said Kairi, linking her arm with his. "Come on, Riku."  
  
Riku stood up, though not before getting in one final eye-roll, and followed them back into town.  
  


*        *        *

That afternoon, Riku was tossing out napkins that had previously been wrapped around ice cream cones. He had left Sora and Kairi on a bench in a park that overlooked the sea. As usual, the two younger teens had elected to be as lazy as possible and pass off all the work to him, even something as simple and painless as napkin disposal.

Just as he was tossing the napkins, Riku saw them. A group of kids about his age who had real parents and real families to go back to at the end of the day, kids who thought they ran the town and that gave them the right to pass judgement on everyone. Riku turned to go.

"Hey! Riku!"

But for some reason, they seemed to think he was cool. The feeling wasn't mutual.

Still. Riku stopped and turned his head to look at the boy who had called his name. He had made a point to not learn this guy's name. Or any of their names.

"Hey," said the boy, coming up to him, "did you see? Sora and Kairi are here together. Do you think they're on a date?"

Riku rolled his eyes. For some reason, it had gotten into these people's heads that Sora and Kairi were head-over-heels in love with each other. "No, they're just hanging out. With me."

A girl chuckled. "Third-wheeling, are you?" The rest of the group rippled with laughter.

"Nope. We're just hanging out. Like friends do." For some reason, it had also gotten into these people's heads that he had a crush on Kairi. Or Sora. It was a matter of intense debate.

"Hey," said the boy from before. "Why do you think a girl like her would go for someone like him?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."  
   
If Sora and/or Kairi were there, they probably would have pulled him away, told him to forget it, and offered to do something fun and more worth their time than these losers. But they weren't there, and Riku stood his ground, piercing eyes daring the other boy to say what he was thinking.

And like an idiot, he did.

"I just mean it's weird that she could have any guy she wanted, but she goes for  _him_."

Riku turned his gaze away from the boy. "They have a lot more in common than you think."

"Maybe, but he's  _strange_ , isn't he?"

Riku felt his fists clenching. "Not really."

"Oh come on, you hang out with him, you must see it. I mean, the guy spends half his time looking at nothing, and when he thinks he's alone, he starts muttering. Talking to himself. Not normally, but like there's another person there. I'm telling you, something's not right with that guy."

At the words "not right", Riku'd had it. The boy had barely gotten the last word out of his mouth before Riku had turned around and punched him in the face.

The guy fell backwards into his friends, who caught him and put him back on his feet. One of them yelled, "You're just as crazy as Sora!" The group retreated, some of them giving him dirty looks over their shoulders. Riku watched them with uncaring eyes. He might be in trouble with his foster parents later, but he couldn't bring himself to be sorry.

Feeling perhaps a little too satisfied with himself, Riku made his way back to the bench where he had left Sora and Kairi only to find it empty. Surprised, Riku looked around him, wondering if he had the wrong bench. No, this was where he had left them, but his best friends were nowhere to be seen.

Panic was Riku's first reaction, a dozen horrible things that might have taken them flashing through his mind. Riku had to remind himself that nothing ever happened on this island and if something  _had_  taken them, they wouldn't have gone without a fight. Still, it wasn't like them to just ditch him like this. Unless "later" was now, and they had gone off somewhere to talk about Sora's dream and whatever else.

Eventually, Riku decided to let it go, and since he apparently had the rest of the day to himself, he decided to go to the island. He wasn't sure it it was to work on the raft or just to be alone and watch the sunset, but either way, he had to get over there first.

Riku walked through town with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground, so when he reached the docks, the first thing he noticed was the two boats missing: Sora and Kairi's. So that was where they'd gone, to the island. Riku lifted his head to look out across the ocean, wondering whether he should follow them. That was when he saw the storm, made of dense, dark clouds swirling menacingly, unnaturally, over the island and expanding rapidly in all directions. Riku looked back down at the missing boats, then to the island. His best friends were on that island. And darkness was descending.

Despite the rough water caused by the storm, Riku was pretty sure he reached the island in record time, fear for his friends driving him to row harder and faster than he ever had in his life.

_Protect the things that matter._

He'd never forgive himself if he failed to protect the two most important people in his life.

When Riku reached the island, his fears were confirmed. The island was definitely the nexus of the dark storm and Sora and Kairi's boats were tied to the pier.

_Protect the things that matter._

Riku closed his left hand into a fist. He remembered the first time he met Sora. The four-year-old, who he'd thought would have been crying his eyes out, was actually smiling, even in the midst of the chaos surrounding them.

_As long as we're together, we'll be alright._

Riku looked at the boats and felt determination fill him. He just had to find Sora and Kairi. As long as he was with them, everything would be alright.

Riku set off. He didn't make it very far until he saw Kairi running out of the Secret Place.

The three of them had found the Secret Place not long after meeting. It had been a sort of refuge for them, somewhere they didn't have to fear the judgement of their peers or the adults. It was where they hatched their plan to build the raft and sail to other worlds. Riku had stopped visiting once they had actually started building the raft. He was pretty sure Sora and Kairi still used it, though for what, he had no idea. Probably hiding from him to get out of doing work, knowing those two.

Riku was hot on Kairi's heels as she ran away from the Secret Place, across the bridge, and to the islet where the paopu tree grew where, with nowhere else to run, she stopped, breathing heavily and trembling. Riku came to a stop behind her.

"Kairi?"

Kairi didn't respond.

"Kairi, where's Sora? I thought he was with you."

"My fault."

"What?"

"It's... It's all my fault."

"Kairi, everything is going to be okay. We just need to find Sora and-"

Kairi turned to face him then, and Riku's voice died. Tears were running down Kairi's face, but what really made Riku stutter were the three red gashes running diagonally across Kairi's chest.

"K-Kairi... What... What happened?!"

"M-My fault... It's all... I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, a pool of darkness appeared below her and began pulling her down.

"KAIRI!!!"

Kairi looked down. Her eyes widened for a moment, but the fear soon left them. "The three of us will always be together, right? That's what we promised." She held out her hand to him.

"KAIRI!" Riku ran forward, planning to grab her and pull her out, but suddenly he couldn't move his feet. He looked down and saw the darkness was dragging him down too.

_No... no no no no no no! I can't let the darkness take me! I have to save Kairi! I have to find Sora! I have to protect the things that matter!_

Just at the darkness was closing over his head, there was a flash of light. Suddenly, Riku was stumbling out of the darkness as he once more felt solid ground under his feet. Kairi was gone, and in his hand was a large key with yellow-gold handle-guards and a silver-white shaft. Riku stared at it with wide eyes.

_A Keyblade._

On the ground, shadows began to cluster. Then, they rose out of the ground and no, Riku realized, they weren't shadows. They were Shadows, and their yellow eyes were fixed on Riku.

 _Heartless_.

Riku raised his new Keyblade. He had sparred with wooden swords against Sora and Kairi enough that he was confident in swinging the weapon, battering every Shadow until it disappeared. Unfortunately, it seemed every time he defeated one, two more appeared. Giving up on clearing the island of the dark invaders, Riku looked around. Kairi, it seemed, was long gone. But where was Sora? He had seen here running out of the Secret Place, so that was as good a place as any to start.

The first thing amiss about the Secret Place was that instead of leaves and vines, it was guarded by two giant, silver doors. Nevertheless, Riku pushed through them and into the cave. No one was inside, but the large, door-like slab at the back of the cave now had a large Keyhole at its center. Riku began to raise his Keyblade, but a deep voice interrupted him.

"All that time staring at the horizon, dreaming of leaving this tiny world, and at the first sight of danger, you throw away your chance?

Riku whipped around, eyes searching for the source of the voice, but found no one. "Who's there?"

"Someone from another world. I came here through the door. Close the door, lock the Keyhole, and you will seal off this world, never to see you friends again."

Riku swallowed. He dismissed his Keyblade and held out his right hand. He remembered placing it on top of Sora and Kairi's, and promising.

_The three of us will always be together. No matter what._

His left hand closed into a fist.

_Protect the things that matter._

As if it had read his mind, the voice asked, "What matters more to you? One little world or your two best friends?"

It wasn't a choice, not really. Riku closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. On his exhale, he opened his eyes, strode forward, grabbed the edge of the door, and yanked it open. He barely got a glimpse of the deep, swirling darkness on the other side before a sudden gust of wind knocked him backward and sent him tumbling out of the cave.

The moment Riku opened his eyes and lifted his head, he felt guilty. The sea was gone. The entire world, it seemed, was gone, replaced with a vast expanse of liquid darkness. Still, he told himself, it was for Sora and Kairi.

_As long as the three of us are together, we'll alright._

Above and behind him, Riku heard heavy footsteps. Riku pushed himself up and turned to see the black monster from his dream looming over him, leering down at him with its yellow eyes. Riku grit his teeth and summoned his Keyblade to his right hand, closing his left into a fist. The Darkside lifted its fist to crush Riku into the ground, but Riku rolled out of the way, leaped to his feet, and slashed the Heartless's fist with the Keyblade.

Riku fought the Darkside for as long as he could, but in the end, it didn't matter. Destiny Islands was falling apart around him, getting sucked up into a dark sphere in the sky. Eventually, the Darkside simply drifted up into the sphere, leaving Riku to cling to a piece as it threatened to suck him in too.

Riku closed his eyes.

_The three of us will always be together. No matter what. And as long as we're together, we'll be alright._

Riku took a deep breath, held it, and let go of the piece of wood.


	2. Traverse Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku, meet Donald and Goofy. They will be your sidekicks for this journey.

Riku woke up convinced he had just had a very vivid nightmare. Losing the island, seeing Kairi with those claw wounds, Sora's disappearance, the Heartless attack... it had all felt far too real.  
  
Riku opened his eyes to find himself propped up against a wall in an alley, completely unlike any place he had seen on the islands. He turned his head slightly and came face-to-face with a dog. At least, he thought it was a dog. It was bright yellow with very big eyes. Eyes that stared at him intently as the dog panted.  
  
No, he was definitely still dreaming. And he really just wanted to wake up so he could see Sora and Kairi, happy and safe. Riku closed his eyes, but the dog had other plans, putting its front paws on his chest and dragging its slobbery tongue across his face.  
  
Riku jerked back to awareness, shoving the dog away from him.  
  
 _Let your mind figure out for itself what's real and what's a dream. Your heart may not know the difference, but your soul always does._  
  
As soon as Riku's mind caught up with the rest of him, he felt his heart sink. None of it had been a dream. The islands, his home for the past ten years, had fallen to darkness, and he had been separated from his friends.  
  
First things first, then: he had to find them. That was the first promise they ever made to each other, that the three of them would always be together, and Riku was not about to break that promise. Riku felt a spark of hope inside him. Maybe, if he had wound up here after the islands fell, Sora and Kairi would be nearby.  
  
That being said... he had no idea where "here" was.  
  
The dog ran off, and Riku followed at a walk. Of course, it wasn't long before Heartless appeared, but Riku quickly summoned his Keyblade-  _that's right, he had a_ Keyblade _now_ - and cut them down.  
  
That was when he heard the voice behind him.  
  
"They'll come at you out of nowhere."  
  
Riku whipped around, Keyblade out and ready, tensed for a fight.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The man in front of him was tall with long, brown hair and a scar running diagonally between his eyes. He was holding a sword with what appeared to be a bullet chamber at the hilt. "And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."  
  
Riku narrowed his eyes. This guy didn't talk like he was on the side of darkness, but he also didn't talk like someone he could necessarily trust.  
  
"For a kid, you seem to know what you're doing, but all the same, better safe than sorry." The man started to approach. "Now let's see that Keyblade."  
  
Riku's grip on the handle tightened. "Absolutely not."  
  
The man stopped and sighed. "Alright. Have it your way."  
  
There was a moment where Riku actually thought he had beaten the man. He was on one knee, breathing heavily, and Riku made to walk away. He should have known better than to turn his back, because the very next moment, he felt something collide with the side of his head and everything went black.  
  
When Riku woke up, the first thing he saw was green. He groaned and sat up, clutching his throbbing head.  
  
"I think you might have overdone it, Squall."  
  
"That's Leon."  
  
The sound of voice drew his attention to the left, where he saw a young woman with short, black hair talking to the man who had knocked him out.  
  
"Anyway," said the woman, this time to Riku himself, "glad to see you're wake. I'm the great ninja Yuffie. I think you already know this guy."  
  
"A bit," said Riku, rubbing his head grumpily.  
  
"Look," said Yuffie, "we're sorry about all that, but we had to get the Keyblade away from you to shake off those creatures. That's how they were tracking you."  
  
"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them," added Leon. "But it won't work for long."  
  
Riku swung his legs over the side of the bed, for the first time noting the Keyblade leaning against the bright green door frame. Riku frowned and held out his hand. The large key disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in Riku's hand.  
  
Leon narrowed his eyes. "You don't seem very surprised by any of this."  
  
Riku shrugged. "It's been a long day. Heartless attacked my world and dragged it into the darkness a few hours ago."  
  
Yuffie tilted her head. "So you already know about the Heartless and the other worlds."  
  
Leon raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  
  
"Well, have you ever heard of a guy named Ansem?" asked Yuffie.  
  
"Ansem?" Riku racked his brain. It might've sounded familiar, but he came up with nothing, so maybe he was just imagining it. "Sorry, no."  
  
"Well, he was studying the Heartless. He wrote a report, but it's probably still in the library at Hollow Bastion. And he's been missing since the Heartless took over that world."  
  
"So why are you telling me this?"  
  
"If we could find him, or even just his report, we might find a way to deal with the Heartless. Right now, all we've got is you and your Keyblade."  
  
Riku nodded, turning this information over in his head. "I'd love to help you..." he remembered the island, disappearing into darkness and Kairi, injured, "...but I have to find my friends."  
  
 _I have to protect the things that matter._  
  
 _Still, don't the worlds matter too?_  
  
Riku didn't get anymore time to ponder this because at that moment, a Heartless appeared in the room. Leon yelled and Yuffie bolted from the room. Riku thought he heard another female voice call her name, but his attention was elsewhere as Leon smacked the Heartless with his sword, launching it through a window and jumping out after it. Riku leaped up from the bed and ran. He still had to search the town, to see if Sora and/or Kairi had ended up here, and he certainly didn't feel like standing still, waiting for the Heartless to come devour his heart.  
  
Riku didn't make it very far before his quest was interrupted by, of all things, a duck and a dog falling from the sky. Their cries, while loud, didn't give nearly enough warning for Riku to get out of the way before they crashed on top of him, which was how he found himself under a pile with only his head and right arm, holding his Keyblade, sticking out.  
  
"Oh, the key!" Clearly, it didn't escape their notice.  
  
Riku had so many questions, but all of them slipped his mind as giant stone pillars burst from the ground, boxing him into the town square with the duck, the dog, and the slew of Heartless that appeared, including a giant suit of armor that fell from the sky and assembled itself.  
  
Riku shoved the other two, whoever they were, off of him, pushing himself to his feet and readying his Keyblade. To his surprise, the duck and dog also readied themselves for a fight, the duck wielding a staff and the dog bearing a shield. Riku didn't have time to process this (it probably wasn't the weirdest thing he'd seen anyway), because then the Heartless were on them.  
  


*        *        *

  
"So, let me get this straight: your king went missing, but he left a note saying you guys should come here and find me?"  
  
Riku was walking through the streets of Traverse Town, looking for any sign of his friends while Donald and Goofy, as they had introduced themselves, trailed behind him, telling their story.  
  
"A-yup," responded Goofy.  
  
"And now you want me to come with you on you rocket ship so you can find him."  
  
"Uh huh," Donald answered.  
  
Riku came to a stop. He was back where he had started- in the square where the fountain with the dog statues stood. There was no way around it: Sora and Kairi weren't here.  
  
"It's your friends, right?" Riku turned at the sound of Leon's voice to see him standing in the square with Yuffie.  
  
Riku nodded. "I was separated from them when my world fell. Their names are Sora and Kairi."  
  
Leon nodded. "We'll keep an eye out for them here. You should go with Donald and Goofy. Most people find their way to Traverse Town after losing their world, but not all. They might have ended up somewhere else."  
  
Riku nodded. "Alright. I'll go."  
  
"Great!" exclaimed Donald. He put his hand out, and Goofy placed his on top. Riku hesitated for a moment, but Donald didn't give him much choice, grabbing his left hand and placing it on top of Goofy's, who proclaimed, "All for one and one for all!"  
  
Suddenly, Riku was ten years in the past, standing on the shore of the island with Sora and Kairi, hand on top of theirs, saying,  _The three of us will always be together._  
  
Kairi added,  _No matter what._  
  
And Sora, smiling despite the tear tracks still barely visible on his face, finished,  _And as long as we're together, we'll be alright._  
  
Back in the present, Riku squeezed his left hand into a fist and slowly withdrew it. Silently, he made another promise to Sora and Kairi.  
  
 _Wherever you are out there, I will find you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2! It might be a while before Chapter 3 comes out, just a heads up.
> 
> I was really blown away by the positive response the first chapter got, so thank you all so much! I'm really glad you all like this fic so far, and I hope you all like the rest of it.
> 
> Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix.  
> Kingdom Hearts D is an alternate universe created by me.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah. Put most simply, this is a Kingdom Hearts role-swap where Riku plays the role of Sora, Sora plays the role of Kairi, and Kairi plays the role of Riku.
> 
> Of course, it's also vastly more complicated than that, but we'll get to that later.


End file.
